Henri Brown is a Fine, Fine Man
by Laurie-ky
Summary: The Sentinel. Detective Henri Brown forgot his wedding anniversary. He's taken Blair Sandburg's advice on how to get back into his wife's good graces.


**Fandom: **The Sentinel

**Title:** Henri Brown is a Fine, Fine Man  
**Author:**Laurie (laurie_ky on Live Journal)  
**Genre:** Het  
**Pairing:** Henri Brown/Alisha Brown  
**Rating:**Teen M  
**Warnings** None.  
**Story Notes:** Beta'ed by Jane Davitt Thanks so much. Written for LJ communities tsallstars and sentinel_thurs.  
**Summary** Detective Henri Brown forgot his wedding anniversary. He's taken Blair Sandburg's advice on how to get back into his wife's good graces.

*~*~*~*~*~*

**Henri Brown is a Fine, Fine Man**

Mama was wrong about my Henri.

Oh, she was right about him being a trial and a tribulation. Lord knows I've wanted to take a broom and sweep him on out of my kitchen when he's been in there, lifting my lids offa my pots, sniffin' around what I've been cooking, trying to sweet-talk me into baking my chocolate pie for him – like that man needs the extra calories.

And I've done it sometimes.

Baked him that pie.

And sometimes I've taken a broom and swatted him on that sweet ass. I tell him to stop running his mouth about what a fine woman I am, and how much he likes my hair in dreads, and how I've got the prettiest brown eyes, because it's not gonna get him nothin' from my kitchen; he can just wait until his dinner is on his plate. I say for him to go on now, and take the trash on out with him. I tell him he can just save all that sugar-mush for dessert. Later. Upstairs.

He laughs then, that big laugh of his. Made me fall in love with him, that laugh.

But my mama was wrong about Henri Brown never amounting to anything much. He's the best detective in Cascade, and he's worked hard to move up into Major Crimes. He got his degree in Criminal Justice while he was on patrol by taking those night classes. He's a smart man, my Henri.

Which is why he knows I'm not going to put up with what he bought me for our anniversary. Right now, I'm so riled at that man I can't see straight. First, he forgot the date – oh, he tried to make me think he'd remembered, when I knew from the look on his face that it'd slipped his mind – and then two days later he brings me home this… thing. I stomp out to the living room and my husband follows me, saying my name. I turn around and poke him in the chest.

"Henri Delroy Brown, just what kind of present is this supposed to be?"

"Now, baby, just stay cool. It's for good luck, you know, with …" And that big bear of mine uses his fingers and his other hand to show what he means.

I slap his hands.

"Are you trying to tell me something here? You saying after fifteen years you're bored with how we make love? That what you're trying to let me know?"

He starts sweating. "No, babe; I could never be bored with you. Blair just said something about good vibes and that it was an authentic piece of folk art from South America; very tasteful."

"Tasteful? That's a man and a woman doing the deed; it's a foot and a half high, and if we put it on our coffee table, do you want to be the one to explain it to your daughters or your mother? Or my mother?"

"Now, Alisha, I didn't know it was so…" and he holds out his hands to show his surprise. He looks at me, embarrassed, and I can't resist those big brown eyes of his.

I begin to calm down. My Henri has a story to tell about this, and I'm going to hear it. But first I'm going to have a little fun. Good vibes? I'd show him some good vibes, all right.

I start to fan myself. Then I move away from him and towards the sun filled kitchen where I'd unwrapped the gift box and had stared in shock at the red clay statue of the legless couple getting some nookie. I'd sat it down on the tile counter, but now I touch it and run my finger down the back of the man, and then the woman.

"I'm feeling warm. I'm feeling like I need something, something that tastes so good. It's the statue, it must be some kind of juju, and those vibes are getting to me. I got a craving and I need something in my mouth; I need it right now, oh, baby."

I move towards my husband, who is looking at me with trepidation and fascination, interest and desire sparking on his face. Then I'm touching him, and I place my hands on his shoulders.

And then I push him away from the refrigerator and open the freezer. I take out a carton of Double Fudge Chocolate ice cream, and carry it over to the counter. I get out two stoneware bowls, fill them, add spoons, then place them on the table.

Henri looks disappointed, and I crack a smile at him while I put the ice cream away.

"Sit yourself down, Detective, because this is an official interrogation." I slide one of the bowls over to him when he obeys, and sit down next to him, at the end of the table.

"All right, Henri. Bringing home this gift is your way of saying you're sorry for forgetting our anniversary, that right?"

He nods. "Blair talked me into it when I said I'd screwed up. He said that if I could get you a nice gift within forty-eight hours that the window of forgiveness would still be open. And he had bought this for Sam, down in Forensics, but she wouldn't take it, she's too mad at him. But I didn't have time to get to a store before my forty-eight hours was up, so he sold it to me. It was already wrapped, and he said it was a fertility statue, but he didn't say it was so…" And he takes a spoonful of ice cream into his mouth.

I agree. I'd turned it over when I'd first gotten it out of the box, and you could see what was going in where.

"Blair… is he the one riding with Jim Ellison, studying the police? He ever ride with you?"

"Yeah, Hairboy is getting his doctorate by watching all of us. He's an anthropologist. But he mostly stays with Ellison. They're pretty tight"

I take a bite of my own ice cream. "I remember him from that party at Captain Banks' home. He's really short, with long, curly hair? He was telling some pretty big stories about other cultures. No wonder he bought this, then. But, baby, what's right for him isn't necessarily right for you and me." I take another spoonful and let the luscious chocolate slide down my throat.

I give him a good long look and say, "I was hurt that you forgot our day, but what do Iyou/I think would be a nice apology?"

He thinks for a moment, and then reaches over and takes my hand. "I love you, Alisha. You're so beautiful, and you're the one that keeps me from going nuts from all the crap I see at work. I'm really sorry our wedding day slipped my mind. And I think we should get your mother or mine to baby sit the girls, and you and I should go out to a nice place and eat."

I smile at him. "Apology accepted. And eat your ice cream quick, because we're going to haul Mr. and Mrs. Fertility upstairs before the girls get home. That statue is going in the closet, but I'm taking you to bed; I like chocolate ice cream just fine, but I'd like a taste of your brown skin better."

Henri is so cute when he blushes.

Yes, Henri Brown is a fine, fine man.

The End


End file.
